“So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all grumbled, ‘He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.’ And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, ‘Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.’” – Luke 19:6-8
This is what it looks like to put your faith in Jesus:
- You joyfully and urgently receive Jesus into every aspect of your life
- Your past, ugly as it might be, becomes irrelevant, because you are a new creation in Christ
- Your profession, reputation, and people’s opinion about you become irrelevant, because Christ is in you
- You are deeply aware of all that you’ve done wrong and profoundly sorry for it, asking God’s forgiveness
- You actively seek to make amends for what you’ve done wrong in the past, because you know you’re already forgiven by God
- The things you used to be passionate about (i.e. money in Zaccheus’s case) no longer hold so much power over you
- You are instead excited about Jesus Christ in your life and what He has done, is doing, and will do for and in you
If you identify as a Christian, but have never experienced these things, Scripture says to examine yourself and your faith to make sure you have truly believed in Jesus as your Lord and Savior by His sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection on your behalf. If you discover you have not, then take that step of faith today and commit your life to Jesus. If you have but your passion has waned, resolve to pursue your relationship with Christ more intentionally every day, because the life of every follower of Christ should bear these signs of conversion like Zaccheus.